


Serendipitous Nature

by shipsbecomearmadas



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, just a bunch of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipsbecomearmadas/pseuds/shipsbecomearmadas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke goes trekking into the woods away from camp to calm her nerves. What ensues can only be defined as a fortuitous accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Serendipitous Nature

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Alex_Wolfe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alex_Wolfe/gifts).



> I own nothing. I am simply availing myself of these wonderful characters in an attempt to write something cute and fluffy for Alex_Wolfe (emerald-wolfe on tumblr) who came up with the prompt and for the wonderful beta services.

“Just make sure that you’re back in time for the bonfire. If I have to go find you, you will be sleeping in the tent next to mine, Griffin!” 

Octavia’s words came to mind as she looked up noticing that the sun was still high up in the sky. She wasn’t sure how long she had been walking nor had she been paying attention. She was simply trying to find a nice place to sketch and work off the tension of this weekend. Why she had let Octavia drag her to the woods on a camping weekend was beyond her. It probably had to do with the fact that O and Raven had promised to torture her if she didn't come with them. Lord knew those two were trouble when they were up to their shenanigans. 

So, she continued to hike not really paying attention to her surroundings looking for a small clearing, a fallen log, something, anything that inspired her. She took a water bottle from the side of the small backpack on her back. Stopping to quench the thirst from her “impossibly long” hike. She swatted at a mosquito and wondered again why her friends had insisted that she bring her shortest shorts this weekend. She was being eaten alive and would probably contract Malaria from all of the mosquitoes attempting to feast on her. So much for the all natural bug repellant Raven had let her use. 

She started to walk again, seeing that there was a small clearing up ahead with what looked like some part of a tree that she could sit on. 

“At least I can work on my nature sketches. There’s bound to be something pretty that will catch my eye with a view this high.” was all she mumbled before she heard it. 

“yip yip” 

“eeooowww” 

“yip….” 

Her feet came to a sudden halt. She had barely entered the clearing when the sight in front of her paralyzed her. 

Quietly, she set her backpack down next to the small log that had fallen. Straddling it as a bench, she retrieved her sketch pad and pencil. Her eyes glued to the scene before her.  
Quickly turning her pad to a new page, she put pencil to it, creating the outline of the scenery first. 

There, in the opposite end of the clearing is a small hill no more than 3 feet tall, an opening in the front of it covered by the tall grass. She could see the overgrown grass and some of the small rocks around moving. The movements coinciding with the noises. 

“yip…..yip” 

There, in the middle of the clearing sat a girl who looked like one of those people that belonged in the “Human v/s Wild” shows. Even from a distance, Clarke could see that she was wearing the dirt of days on her clothes. Her hair looked dusty all coming loose from what she can only guess must have been a bun. Strands falling out of it down to her shoulder blades while others stuck to the back of her neck. She was sitting down on the grass, the flannel shirt tied around her waist serving as a partial barrier between the girl and the ground she was sitting on. 

The longer Clarke observes the scene before her she realized that the girl was sitting with her back perfectly straight. A stillness that belonged in this natural environment instead of clashing with it. Looking down at the paper once again, noticing that she had finished sketching the den and had most of the lines for the grass done as well. 

“gggrrrrfff” 

The tiny growl like sound brought her eyes back up to the scene before her. That is when she saw them. Two wolf cubs exploring in the grass. One of them inching ever so cautiously to the girl. His bravery and ferociousness drawing a smile on Clarke’s face. Her artistic vision having taken over, she narrowed in on the details of the girl before her. 

She noticed that her posture, which had at first seemed rigid was actually relaxed. Her breathing was even and deep confirming Clarke’s new appreciation of this stranger. Long tanned arms hung loosely at her sides from her sleeveless shirt. One hand resting palm up by her side, the other resting on her small pack. She could make out the bent knees that indicated she was sitting with her legs crossed. That’s when it hit her. 

She wasn’t just a part of this scene. This girl IS the scene. As organically a part of it as the roots coming out of the ground above the wolf den, or that piece of moss growing on the trunk of the tree she was currently straddling. She just had to draw her.

“gggrrrrffff” “gggrrrrfff”

“Yip…yip”

This one yip sounded a bit different than the others, yet familiar. The girl was answering the cubs growls. She was playing with them. The timid cub finally coming further away from the den. Whimpering as it neared the girl. Clarke was mesmerized. 

She is playing with them. 

In the moment it took for the realization to hit, Clarke knew that she simply needed to have this girl in her sketch. To take this moment, this girl, back with her if only on a piece of paper. 

UGHHH!! Stupid ethics!! Why had she opted to take that class as an elective?? She knew that she couldn’t, she wouldn’t sketch the girl without her consent. It wasn’t right. It would be just like a stalkerazzi picture. She wasn’t a stalkerazzi! No! She, Clarke Griffin knew the importance of consent. If only this girl would turn around. Then she would be able to ask her if she could sketch her without interrupting her playtime with the pups. Then again, she was already intruding. She had been unknowingly staring at her for….how long had it been? 

She looked up searching for the sun only to realize that it was now well behind her. She had been staring at this beautiful stranger for hours without even realizing it.

Way to be a creeper, Clarke! Wait...what?? Beautiful?? She is all dirty and dusty. Probably smells too. Just look at the way the light highlights the muscles on her arms. The shadows of her hair on her neck, I wonder if could capture that kind of ethereal quality? Wait. Stop. What am I doing? She hasn’t even said I could sketch her. She probably hasn’t even realized I’ve been watching her for hours. 

The sigh of frustration that escaped Clarke’s lips must have been louder than she thought. It took her a few seconds to bring her gaze back to the girl and the scene before her. Forest green eyes pierced blue ones. 

“You know, you are not as quiet as you think. We have been aware of you since you sat down.” 

Eyes captive, mind lost in embarrassment at having been caught, Clarke could not make sense of the words coming out of the girl’s mouth. Apparently, she was only capable of continuous staring since her eyes remained glued on the forest ones before her. 

“Would you like to come and get a closer look of them for your drawing?” 

The girl raised an eyebrow. Her lips pursing as if awaiting an answer to some question. 

Thankfully, her brain caught up to the words uttered allowing her to process them. 

“Yes, I would. Won’t I scare them away though? After all, you just got the shy one to come out.”

Why she was whispering, she didn’t know. Most likely to not scare the pups away she rationalized. It certainly could not be because the girl had left her breathless. Even with the dirt on her face, Clarke could tell she was beautiful. She had high cheekbones that could cut diamonds. A defined jawline that was meant to be traced with fingers and kisses. Full lips.  
She took a deep breath after realizing she missed the girls response in the way that her eyes are looking at her expectantly. 

Deciding to simply brave it, Clarke gathers her sketchpad, pencil, and water bottle heading over to where the girl is still sitting down. 

“Hi. I’m Clarke. Thank you for letting me get closer.”

“Hello Clarke. My name is Lexa. You’re welcome. I’ll see if I can get them to come close again, that way you can get a better look at them for your drawing.”

“Do you mind if I draw you as well?”

Lexa simply raises an eyebrow waiting for Clarke to continue. 

Clarke notices the slight change in Lexa’s demeanor. Some of her comfort eased by the request.

“It’s just that while I was working on my drawing of the clearing, I noticed that you seemed to belong. You weren’t like a person who was sitting down in a part of the forest. You felt, well, you looked like you were a part of the forest. Like that tree or the grass. I’ve never seen anyone be so in tune with nature. Not even my friends and they love to camp, hike and be outdoors all the time.”

I am rambling! Why am I rambling? Why does Lexa make me nervous. Well, maybe because I had been watching her for hours and she might now think I’m a creeper. How do I fix this? Deep breath, Clarke. Deep breath. 

“I see. Do you not often come out to the woods and go camping, hiking with your friends, Clarke?” 

“Ha! No! I am the enjoy the woods through my window kind of person.” 

“I see.” 

“So, may I draw you? I was thinking of drawing you from behind, the way you looked when I was sitting on the log.”

“I suppose that’s okay. It makes sense since that was the original perspective of your drawing.”

Clarke could not help the grin that showed on her face. She quickly began to outline Lexa’s back, realizing just how much she commited to memory. Once that part was done, she used her new point of view to draw in the details that she had missed before. The tattoo at the nape of Lexa’s neck that was in the shape of an incomplete infinity symbol. The short fly away hairs at the base of her hairline. The way the sunlight made her skin have more of a cinnamon tint to it. The toned muscles that even when relaxed were still incredibly defined.  
She finished the drawing with the exception of the darker shading for which she would need to use the charcoals she had at home. 

“Yip...yip”

Lexa had been calling the pups over while she drew and “Bashful” as she had taken to calling the timid one of the two slowly edged his way closer to her. It was then that she heard Lexa whisper.

“Just use slow movements for your drawing.”

She did as she was told. Sure enough, the slow movements didn’t startle the pup. She worked on the small details of him in her drawing, focusing on his fur and the way the light hit his eyes. She was nearly finished when she noticed that Lexa had grown quiet. 

“It’s close to sundown. We should get going before their mom comes back.”

“Oh. Okay. I just finished the last of Bashful’s details.” 

Closing her sketch pad and gathering the few things she brought over to join Lexa, she stood up next to the girl noticing the inquisitive look on her face. 

“I sort of started calling the timid one Bashful. You know. After the dwarf.” 

Lexa could not help the small smirk from appearing. Leave it to Clarke to nickname one of the pups after a Disney character. She picked up her small pack, adjusting it over one shoulder as they walked in silence towards the impromptu log bench where Clarke’s small backpack was still sitting by,

“So, uhm, Lexa. Where is your camp?” 

“I’m supposed to be meeting with my cousin and my sister a bit further down, but I wanted some time to just enjoy the area by myself. So I agreed to meet them later on at the destined camp site.”

“I see. I wanted some time to just release the stress of camping this weekend and started walking to get away from my friends and draw. I completely understand that need for quiet time.”

“Mmhmm”

“Thank you for allowing me to draw you. And for helping me see Bashful up close. It was really cool. I’ve never seen a wolf cub. My friends will be so jealous when I tell them.” 

“You’re welcome, Clarke. May I see your drawing?” 

Clarke fiddled with her backpack as they continued to walk down hill in search for her sketch pad to show Lexa. Finding the page, she offers it to Lexa.

“It’s very beautiful, Clarke. You really captured the gaze in his eyes. You are quite talented.” 

“Thanks. It’s what I’m majoring in.” 

Nodding her understanding, Lexa looked at the fast setting sun wondering where Clarke’s camp was and why her friends were not out here looking for here. Surely they would worry knowing that Clarke rarely went hiking and how easy it would be for her to get lost. 

“Clarke, where is your campsite?” 

“Uhmmm, I know that I was walking uphill when I found you, so downhill?” 

“Do you have the coordinates with you or did you mark a trail?” 

“You’re supposed to mark a trail?” 

Clarke’s eyes were wide with concern. She’s lost. With a stranger. 

“Don’t worry. We can set up a small camp site. I’m sure that when it’s supper time and they see you are not there, they will come searching for you.”

Clarke’s stomach rumbled at the mention of supper. She fiddled with her backpack looking for a snack or a protein bar that she might be able to share with Lexa until her friends come and find her. Nothing. She hadn’t packed any food, just water. 

“Follow me. There is this small stream with a waterfall just a bit further down where we can catch some fish to eat and maybe wash some of the day’s hike off of us.”

“You know how to fish without fishing poles? Just how often do you come and adventure in the woods?”

Lexa’s chuckle catches Clarke off guard. She was not prepared for that sound to make her breath hitch. She looks down at the ground attempting to hide the small smile Lexa’s chuckle causes. 

It’s only because Lexa is nice and Clarke is still so happy about seeing the pups. Yes, that is it. It most certainly has nothing to do with the fact that she keeps glancing at Lexa whenever she thinks the girl isn’t looking. Nope. Because I refuse to be a creeper twice in one day! 

At least that is what she is telling herself.

“My sister and my cousin love to go camping. They used to drag me along as a kid and it just sort of took I suppose. It is something that I only do with them. Until now I guess.”

The sky is still painted in violets, magentas and bright oranges when they reach the shore. Lexa sets down her backpack a few feet away from the water’s edge. She is familiar enough with the area to know that during the late Spring, the water is warm enough even in the early evening to take a quick dip in it and wash away the dirt. She doesn’t hesitate to strip down to her boyshorts and bra when she notices that Clarke is very actively avoiding looking at her. 

“The water is still warm. The stream is safe if you want to cool off and wash away the dirt of the hike.” 

“Ummm, I’ll just rinse myself here by the edge of the water. Thanks.”

Shrugging, Lexa walks out a bit further where the stream is at it’s deepest reaching her waist. Clarke’s eyes are glued on Lexa. She let her hair down, cascading in waves down the middle of her back. It is slowly disappearing before her eyes as Lexa submerges and vanishes from sight. It’s all the incentive Clarke needs to join her. Making quick work of her clothes, she is wading towards mid stream when Lexa surfaces. Noticing Clarke walking towards her causes a smile to bloom on her lips. It is mirrored by Clarke’s.

“I see you decided to join me. It’s rather refreshing without it being too cold.” 

Clarke’s feet slip on an algae covered rock, causing her to fall forward when she feels Lexa’s strong arms steadying her. From this proximity, Clarke appreciates the details that make up Lexa’s beauty even more. She continues to close the distance between them. Drawn to Lexa as if a magnetic force were pushing and pulling them towards one another. Her hands slowly trace the upward muscles of Lexa’s arms as they wrap around her waist. Hands coming to rest on the strong shoulders of arms that bring her closer, ground her. Tearing her eyes away from the muscles her fingers have traced, with a slight tilt up of her head azure meets pine. A silent request and consent being exchanged before timid lips fleetingly meet. 

The vibrant colors have given way to the dazzling of stars. The moon illuminating them, casting this moment into a state of surreal existence. The shiver running up Clarke’s spine brings Lexa back to their reality. The water has lost the last of its warmth reminding them that they have a ways to walk still. 

The arms anchoring her to this moment are sliding from her waist. Lexa is taking a step back. Her hands trace again their same path only this time, they trace it downwards. Clarke is questioning if she misread the situation when lithe fingers entwine with hers. 

“The water is cold, we lost the daylight to fish and I’m sure your friends will be looking for you soon. We should get dressed.” 

She is following Lexa as they make their way to the bank. Hands lose themselves as they get dressed. Clarke missing the warm sense of reality Lexa’s touch brings. Once dressed, with her backpack across her back, she crosses the short distance to where Lexa is still rummaging through her pack. She is rewarded with the sight of a protein bar being handed to her. 

“I was looking for a change of clothes and came across them. I figured with it being night time, if we follow the path down the stream, we might come across your campsite.”

Taking the offered snack, Clarke lets her fingers linger on Lexa’s for just a moment.

“Thank you, Lexa. Maybe they left us some dinner and you can rest there for the night before continuing on your way to meet up with your sister and your cousin. If you’d like?”

She can’t help the hopeful tone in her voice any more than she can help the flushing of her cheeks and neck thanking the fact that the night conceals it for her. 

“I would like that.” 

Lexa’s response is low and timid, like Bashful’s yipping. A grin breaking across Clarke’s face at the resemblance. A moment later, after Lexa has her pack situated across her back, Clarke intertwines their fingers once again as they start on the path that will hopefully lead them back to her camp. 

They have been walking at most for half an hour when they hear it. The loud sounds of the group laughing and singing. Just past a few trees, they come into the small camp site where the bonfire is still roaring. A few logs circling it that people are using to sit on while they drink and make s’mores. Clarke tugs on Lexa’s arm only to find that that girl is rooted on the spot. Her eyebrow raised in that inquisitive way she is already so familiar with. 

“Lexa?”

“Clarke! About time you got back Griffin! I thought we were going to have to go search for you!” 

Raven is hugging her and calling the group’s attention.

“Hey O, look who finally made it back!”

Octavia walks over accompanied by a tall and tanned man. She is smiling in that same way that she does when she talks about her boyfriend, Lincoln. It is then that Clarke notices they are holding hands. She returns their smiles while glancing at Lexa out of the corner of her eye.

“Clarke, meet Lincoln...Lincoln, Clarke.” 

“Nice to meet you, Lincoln. Octavia talks about you all the time.” 

She is too focused on him to notice that Lexa is piercing him with a questioning look. When he chuckles instead of replying to Clarke, it catches Octavia’s attention who simply follows his gaze.

“Oh, I see you already met Lexa. And seeing as how you are holding hands, I’m guessing you don’t need our help anymore.”  
“Help? Help with what, O?” 

Octavia has started leading Lincoln back towards the bonfire when she calls over her shoulder with a devilish smirk.

“Lincoln’s cousin is your blind date, Clarke. Don’t forget, you are sleeping in the tent next to mine.” 

 

~FIN~

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Clarke gets lost in the woods and Lexa either suggests they camp out together or leads her back to her group for safety because hiking at night is not advised.


End file.
